IN THE NEWS WITH ASR

Saving More Lives in a Crisis Event

Protests, riots, civil disorder, and terrorism all fall on first responders.   They plan, prepare, and participate in some of the world's most tragic events.  No matter the crisis, EMS professionals are front and center, each time hoping to save more lives in a crisis event.

As Americans, we have witnessed every type of event from the terrorist attacks on 9/11 through the Boston Marathon bombing, to the active shooters of Aurora, Parkland, Las Vegas, and many others.  There are too many events to mention.  In fact, in 2020, we have surpassed the grim reality of more than 500 mass shooting events - the first time we have ever exceeded 500 in a single year.  In some of these events, first responders were deployed, ready and prepared, hoping that all would be OK.  In other events, first responders had to run into the violence and hope for the best.

For first responders, one of the key issues in the aftermath of any event is to conduct a detailed after-action review (AAR) – as well as immediate team debriefs and wellness checks.  These are completed to identify the issues that need to be singled-out and, if necessary, work to ensure the next potential event runs a little smoother. Identifying lessons from an event is a key activity on the way to ensuring that we learn by absorbing what happened, and exercise and drill the scenario to ensure future actions are well-rehearsed, understood, and ultimately contribute to saving more lives in a crisis event.

The major lesson identified from any mass casualty incident caused by extreme and focused violence is the need for rapid and accurate communication.  The extreme stress of the situation, the confusion of the situation, and any lack of communications systems all add to the initially confusing scene and delay the ability to gather and form a common operating picture that then leads to organization and order.  Organization and order are necessary to save more lives in a crisis event.

The after-action review on the World Trade Center attack on 9/11 highlighted communication failures as a major lesson. To effectively deal with the outcome of violence; drills, tactics, techniques, and procedures must be understood and rehearsed. Planning must consider every possible twist and turn, and protocols must be developed to deal with them. The key to response and saving more lives in a crisis event therefore sits in the plan coupled with the need for immediate and effective communication.  

High levels of communication aid command and control, and without that, any event or operation is guaranteed a poor outcome. This is one lesson we must learn and takeaway from past tragedies.  To learn more from an EMS perspective click here.

ASR Alert Systems is a state-of-the-art patented critical incident response technology specializing in the field of threat alert notifications to local Law Enforcement and First Responders in the event of a crisis. The threat notification capabilities include Active Shooter/Assailant, Medical Emergencies, Severe Weather, and more. Our team of professionals has diverse experience in Security, Law Enforcement, and Special Operations Military. ASR has melded these capabilities for use in both the public and private sectors.  Here is how it works.

1. Emergency Presented - An emergency or threat presents itself.  Immediate action is needed to tend to the situation at hand as the clock is ticking.
2. System Is Activated - The ASR Alert System (critical incident response technology) is activated via one of the stationary wall-mounted activation points, mobile pendant lanyards or ASR APP. Sirens and strobes are initiated to alert personnel and to disorient the active shooter/assailant.
3. Instant Alerts Begin DIRECT to LAW ENFORCEMENT - Upon initiation, all personnel within the organization, as well as local law enforcement, will receive immediate emergency alerts via text and email notifications. Our critical incident response technology is the trigger to initiate life-saving response.
4. Quick Response - The nearest law enforcement personnel will be able to move quickly to neutralize the threat and tend to the emergency at hand. The ASR Alert System saves time by providing the exact location of the threat as well as images from the system cameras.

ASR is wholly dedicated to saving time to save lives and we approach our critical incident response technology from the perspective of those responding to crisis events.  Communicating DIRECTLY with first responders is what makes ASR different from every other system on the market, we hold the patent on this technology.